The ministry of ayush has taken major strides toward enhancing the global presence of traditional Indian medicine through its Central Sector Scheme for the Promotion of International Cooperation in Ayush (IC Scheme). The initiative aims to boost the export of Ayush products and services while advancing international recognition, research, and academic exchange in the field.
Under the IC Scheme, the Ministry provides support to Indian Ayush drug manufacturers and service providers, facilitates global promotion of Ayush systems, and encourages collaboration with reputed international institutions and UN agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO). The scheme also promotes Ayush education and awareness abroad through the establishment of academic chairs and training programs in foreign countries.
One of the most significant achievements under this framework is the establishment of the WHO-Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC) in Jamnagar, Gujarat. Developed in partnership with WHO, the centre serves as a global hub for evidence-based research in Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine (TCIM). It aims to advance WHO’s Traditional Medicine Strategy (2014–2023) by supporting member nations in developing policies, standards, and action plans that integrate traditional medicine into universal health coverage.
The GTMC focuses on several key objectives: positioning traditional medicine systems globally, ensuring quality and safety standards, developing norms and guidelines, and fostering data collaboration through a global Traditional Medicine Informatics Centre. It also emphasizes capacity-building through training programs in partnership with the WHO Academy.
The Ministry’s collaboration with WHO has led to the publication of several landmark documents, including:
*Benchmark documents for the training and practice of Ayurveda and Unani (2022), resulting from a Project Collaboration Agreement signed in 2016.
*Terminology documents for Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha, enhancing integration of traditional and complementary medicine into healthcare systems.
Further strengthening this partnership, India and WHO signed a new agreement on May 24, 2025, to develop Traditional Medicine intervention categories under the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI). The initiative aims to create a dedicated Traditional Medicine module that standardizes global healthcare practices based on India’s traditional systems — Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani.
In addition to its WHO collaborations, the Ministry of Ayush has signed 25 Country-to-Country MoUs for cooperation in Traditional Medicine and Homoeopathy; established 15 academic chairs in international institutions; entered 52 institute-level collaborations for research and academic exchange and supported the creation of 43 Ayush Information Cells across 39 countries to promote Ayush globally.
Offered scholarships to foreign nationals under the International Ayush Fellowship/Scholarship Program to study in recognized Indian institutions.
Minister of state (Independent Charge) for Ayush, Pratap Rao Jadhav, shared these details in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, highlighting India’s growing leadership in global traditional medicine and its commitment to blending ancient wisdom with modern health systems.
(This article has been processed from a PIB release)
